Canadian Parliamentary Review – La Revue parlementaire canadienne
Canadian Commonwealth Association – L’ Association parlementaire du Commonwealth
Wendy Reynolds is Manager of Accessibility, Records and Open Parliament in the Information Services Division at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Jennifer Dumoulin is a PhD candidate and part-time professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa.
Guillermo Renna is an alumnus (2018/2019) of the Parliamentary Internship Programme. He holds an undergraduate from McGill University in political science. An earlier version of this paper was prepared as part of the Parliament Internship Programme and nominated for the Alfred Hales Prize.
As co-legislators, the Senate and the House of Commons are central to the legislative process in the Canadian Parliament. Since both Houses must pass legislation in identical form before it can become law, the way the Chambers resolve their differences is crucial to the legislative process. This article focuses on how the Senate and the House of Commons use messages to resolve their differences on legislation.
Continue reading “Bicameral Conflict Resolution: Developments in the 42nd Parliament”
Charlie Feldman is a Member of the Law Society of Ontario.
There’s more than one way to count amendments depending on how you define the term. In this article, the author explores a myriad of possibilities using hypothetical examples. However, he concludes by noting that counting the number of amendments is not necessarily the best metric to assess the extent of change in legislation.
Continue reading “A Counting Conundrum: How Many Amendments?”
Mark D. Browne (MHA for Placentia West-Bellevue from 2015-2019) was the youngest person ever to be elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in 2015 at the age of 22. He was subsequently appointed to serve as Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since his tenure in public office, he has completed a Master’s Degree in International Relations with Distinction in Paris, and is currently studying law at the University of New Brunswick.
Continue reading “Para-Diplomacy by Provincial Legislatures: How Turkey and Caribou Make the Case”
The Honourable Anthony Rota is the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Member of Parliament for Nipissing-Timiskaming, Ontario.
As it became apparent in March 2020 that the COVID-19 pandemic would significantly disrupt many aspects of Canadian life, the MPs and the House of Commons Administration began to discuss how parliamentary business could continue in these exceptional circumstances. In this article, the author, Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota, explains how the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) met to determine how to resume parliamentary sittings in a way that would respect health and safety protocols while maintaining their parliamentary rights and privileges. He notes that longstanding relationships within the House of Commons Administration were key to facilitating a shift to hybrid virtual sittings in a timely manner. By learning from the experiences of other parliaments and drawing on technical infrastructure that had been built over several years, the House of Commons Administration helped make the seemingly impossible possible. The author concludes by noting that the Members have drawn on the modernity and nimbleness of the Administration to transform the way they fulfil their parliamentary responsibilities during the pandemic while honouring the history and tradition of the House of Commons.
Finding a silver-lining in the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult, but not impossible. The necessity of moving conferences and seminars to digital platforms has opened up new possibilities for participation. In this article, the author explains how the CSPG’s recent virtual offerings have expanded the range of presenters able to participate and created some exciting and informative events.
The Canadian Study of Parliament Group (CSPG) has begun hosting virtual events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October, our annual conference entitled “Perspectives on Legislatures and Legislative Power: Past, Present, Future” brought together presenters from five continents to share their experiences and insights on various aspects of parliamentary institutions. It was the largest and most ambitious CSPG program yet – and the CSPG hopes to build on this with its upcoming seminar programs.
Continue reading “An Update from the Canadian Study of Parliament Group”
The Canadian parliamentary system is based on accepted rules, norms and conventions. Populism denotes a form of governing in which the perceived will of “the people” can be used as a means to challenge the very rules and conventions which underline responsible government. In this article, the author considers the rise of self-styled “populist” regimes in recent years and raises questions as to what extent populism may threaten the traditions and practices of Canada’s parliamentary system, and conversely whether the parliamentary system is capable of acting as a shield against the anti-democratic impulses of populism.
“Everyone knows that on a large scale democracy is pernicious nonsense – a country or even a county cannot be run by a self-seeking parcel of tub-thumping politicians working on popular emotion, rousing the mob.”
Continue reading “Parliamentary Government in the Age of Populism”
History, tradition, convention and precedents are important to Westminster parliamentary institutions; however, new challenges demand flexibility to adjust the rules and set new precedents when necessary. In this article, the author explains how the Legislative Assembly of Ontario has modified Standing Orders and how the Speaker is using discretion to ensure fair participation by the significant number of MLAs who sit as Independents.
Our Westminster parliamentary institutions date back centuries, yet each new Parliament comes with challenges and changes that require us to adjust the rules and set new precedents.